


the hearts of ghosts

by BombsAreForBabies



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe of an Alternate Universe, Gen, Haruno Sakura-centric, Reincarnation, Time Travel, Uchiha Brothers-centric, Uchiha Itachi-centric, Uchiha Sasuke-centric, ghosts in her heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-02 12:18:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8667397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BombsAreForBabies/pseuds/BombsAreForBabies
Summary: A collection of short stories/extras that are related to, or an extension of, my fanfic: ghosts in her heart.(Oneshot collection, so it will always be complete. Even if it is updated.)





	1. by the bench

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura/Itachi has a talk with canon!Sasuke before he can leave to go to Orochimaru. (Dimension Travel AU)

“You have to stop this. It will only end in regrets.” Sasuke whirls around, because he is sure that Sakura had been subdued by him. She stands there, but not; she is different. The familiar lines on her face enrage him, and he has no clue as to what she could possibly want.

“I need-”

“More power, I know.” She cuts off his sentence, and he does not know whether to snarl or continue on in his usual aloof manner. He wonders what has happened in the few seconds his back was turned, because this Sakura is certainly not the one he was talking to mere minutes ago. “Oto- Sasuke, stay.” He bristles at the word that almost slips out of her mouth. But surely he must be mistaken; she has no reason to call him that.

Her eyes are tired, the green a deep jade that seems as eternal as the creatures that are carved from the stone. It is unfamiliar, and sets him on edge. It is also too familiar, and that is even worse. There is an anger burning within him, and he can feel dark chakra responding to his unconscious calls.

“Sasuke, I do not want to hurt you.” Sasuke would usually scoff, because the idea of her even landing a hit on him is laughable, but there is a difference between her and the Sakura he is used to. It is one that makes his senses freeze and his blood boil. “At least let us talk.” She pulls out a box of Pocky from nowhere and does not offer him any. He gets the sense that it is more because she knows that he will not like it than a refusal to share.

Sasuke follows reluctantly.  
\---  
Sakura looks at her younger brother, and she wonders why she has to end up in every freaking universe where Sasuke needs help. Not that she minds, her protective instincts ensure that she will always do her best to stop him from going haywire, but it is still a mystery.

This is not how she wants to spend her nights, although she supposes that it is better than reliving the massacre every time she closes her eyes. Her dreams are weird, and they are never going to let her get any rest. Adding up all her time in every plane of existence she has been in, she is probably in her fifties by now. Yet Kisame still whines about her ‘dad jokes’.

She tells Sasuke to sit, then goes through the motions of making tea. Hopefully she will not have to restrain him; it is always easier when her brother listens to what she has to say.

“How do you know where everything in my house is?”

Sakura shrugs. Saying that she has been in this house in more than one life and is the reason it is not a haunted reminder of loss in one of those lives will probably not do her any favors. Sasuke is more likely to listen to what he considers a fangirl than a psychotic and hallucinating stalker. Still.

“Itachi is not who you think he is.” The words are ominous sounding, even if they are spoken in a high pitched and very girly voice. She can practically hear him tense, but does not turn around to see his expression; she has seen it too many times for her to ever forget it. The kettle boils and she takes it, along with a teapot and cups. “He is not evil, he is doing what he thinks is right. It is not his fault that he is naïve about some things.”

“Sakura.” And isn't it strange to hear him say that without -nii at the end? “Don't pretend to know what I have been through.”

“I am not.” She has no right to his experience, has not lived it, for all she empathizes with it. “But, I know what Itachi has been through.”

Sakura leans her head just enough to the left that the kunai does nothing but breeze by her cheek. He is much too reckless, but this is no doubt a time of emotional confusion, so she can let it go. The anger and fear she can see on his face as she sets the teapot and cups down, that is an expression that she hates seeing. When she wakes up, she is going to make Sasuke his favorite breakfast. But for now, she has to sort this out.  
\---  
Sasuke has no idea what exactly has happened, but he should get out of here. The night is not endless, and he has to make it out of the village. He has a feeling that Sakura is not going to allow him to do that.

Rage bubbles underneath his skin, and he wants to punch a hole through something. Of course, the last few times he has tried that method it did not end up well for him, so he refrains from doing so.

“You don't know what he's done!” A hand slams against the table. Sasuke only knows it is his because of the tingling pain that goes up his arm. He curses his lack of perfect autonomy. “He killed everyone!”

He looks her in the eye, even though he is suddenly reluctant to do so. His sharingan spins, but the other does not even flinch. She just looks sad, no, tired; she looks tired and her voice sounds older than it is as she speaks. “I- he had to choose between you being killed and doing it himself. It was a lose-lose situation and he could not let you die.”

“You don't know that!”

“I do not need you to believe me. Just… Stay in Konoha and know that love will win against hate.” Sasuke watches as she takes a breath and finishes off her tea. “Feelings are not a handicap, not unless you them be so. Stay in Konoha for one more week. Think about this, then you can do what you want.  
\---  
Sasuke sits underneath a tree. Sakura comes up to him, and she seems to have gone back to normal. He still warily keeps his eyes on her, stiffening when she sits beside him.

“Sasuke-kun! I had the weirdest dream last night! You were going to leave, and I tried to stop you, but…” The rambling fades out, and he realizes that he is sitting next to a different Sakura than the one he met last night.

He contemplates the lines on her face, and on how she said that she knew Itachi. The sun that shines down on Konoha's training grounds warms him, and he resolves to think about this later. For now he will let the background chatter of his teammates lull him to sleep.

He thinks he will stay another week.


	2. under our tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boy lives with his grandmother and traces of Danzo still in his mind. Then he gets a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do I keep writing things about ROOT!kid??? He appeared in one freaking chapter and an endnote.

A boy sits under a tree and looks around at the other children running around. He has never seen so many people in a disorganized manner, as Lord Danzo kept everything and everyone on a tight leash. This is a strange experience for him, but not unpleasant. The other reintegration program students are still refusing to move from the school building; he thinks that he is doing well in comparison, even if he is alone under this tall tree.

  
His pondering are interrupted by the sound of shifting grass and cloth, along with a voice that is jarring to him. Beside him a girl has decided to sit, bright eyes and a gap between her teeth giving her an innocent look. “I heard that y’all know some super cool ninja moves.”

  
Most of the children shy away from him, but this girl is leaning forward. The enthusiasm in her posture and voice is new, but not unpleasant. He nods, and she lets out a yell of joy. “Let’s train after school! You can come to my house.”  
\---  
Baa-sama is delighted that he is making friends. There is a warmth in his chest at her praise, and his lips tilt upwards just a tiny bit. She tells him to be at home by nightfall and ruffles his hair.

  
He goes over to the girl, and she peers at Baa-sama over his shoulder. “Your gran’ma looks real nice.” She is alone, and the reverence in her eyes at his relative speak more than words. He decides not to comment on this.

  
Instead, he nods and says a quiet “Yes, she is.”   
\---  
The girl is not very good at throwing kunai. She is, however, deadly accurate with senbon. The thin metal gleams as she juggles them around her fingers, and her eyes are lit with joy. “This is so cool! Stupid kunai; why d’the teachers only teach that?”

  
He shrugs. He genuinely does not know, considering the fact that it is harder to fatally injure somebody with senbon rather than kunai. Lord Danzo drilled all the main shinobi weapons and how to use them into all of their minds, so favoring a weapon as much as the Academy does is new to him. He suspects it is due to the focus on only the basics.

  
When he tells her as much, she nods with her index finger tapping her chin. “Makes sense.” A pause, and then she continues, “Still stupid.”  
\---  
She graduates from the Academy and he from the reintegration program. Under a tree that has quickly become their tree, he sits in a calm silence. There is a yell, the sound of feet hitting packed dirt, and a girl plops down beside him. In her hands there is a sheet of paper, and her finger points to their names next to each other on the team roster.

  
He is happy, and it is still strange. It will never stop being a shock, but he reasons that he can experience it like the first time forever. His smile is still small, but it is warmer than it used to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (they end up passing the genin test, but will never look at chipmunks the same way again)


End file.
